


So a Minecraft Streamer and an E-boy Walk Into a Con...

by yuushinos



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: (Implied) Yuuki Makoto/Sena Izumi, Alternate Universe, Influencer AU, Instagram Influencers, M/M, Minecraft, Minecraft Streamers - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rated T for swearing, Slow Burn, meme idea taken seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27671642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuushinos/pseuds/yuushinos
Summary: Tori is a famous Instagram influencer who's starting to hate his job. Izumi is an Instagram model whose greatest passion is a gamer who only knows him through the screen. Sora is a popular Twitch streamer who might be the only one enjoying his career. And Shinobu... Shinobu is lost.[A multichapter fic based on the idea of e-boy!Tori x gamer!Shinobu. Next update probably late February/ early March. Sorry for the wait!]
Relationships: Fushimi Yuzuru & Himemiya Touri, Himemiya Touri & Sena Izumi, Himemiya Touri/Sengoku Shinobu, Sengoku Shinobu & Harukawa Sora
Comments: 15
Kudos: 24





	1. A Boy Lost in the Wind

**Author's Note:**

> important note: so when i first thought of this idea, 1) i loved it, but 2) i didn’t know how to make it make sense. the big hurdle with this idea was that, no matter how i looked at it, it was an idea based on my own experience of social media, as an American, with characters who were not American. I don’t like that, i still don’t like it, but I’ve made peace with it. I didn’t want to just say “they’re American in this” and i couldn’t just pretend that they weren’t Americanized. And it’s not like I can just write the fic from a Japanese internet perspective bc that’s not how im experiencing the internet, and it’s not something i’d be able to research without fluency in Japanese. so my best solution is this: this fic is taking a localized approach, rather than a translated one. for anyone unclear on the difference, translation is the literal words- changing them from one language to another. localization is adjusting other things- for example changing a reference to a childrens story common in one culture to a similar one from another culture so that the reader will understand without needing an extended note. both have pros and cons- sometimes there is no equivalent to localize to that keeps the same meaning, sometimes a reference is so brief and unimportant that drawing attention to it with a note explaining the original meaning draws attention to it that wasnt there before. but basically i’m imagining this as sort of localized version of what would “actually” happen. I thought this was a better choice than either doing a butchered portrayal of something that i haven’t and cannot at this moment acquaint myself with or just ignoring the discrepancy and pretending my experiences are universal. i understand if you don’t agree with that choice, and have no problems if it leads someone to not read my work, if that’s you: thank you for reading this far, have a nice day! if that’s not you: then read on, i hope you’ll enjoy  
> sorry for the long note, but i had to get that out of the way! now, let’s begin!

_Deep breath._ He squeezed his knees to his chest. _Deep breaths Shinobu, you can do this. They like you, remember. You can do it, you always can._ With his nerves- not gone, never gone despite his constant efforts- finally calm enough for him to handle, Shinobu finds his mouse and unmutes Sora’s stream.

“Senpai was a little mad at Sora after, but he had fun too so it was okay!” His friend’s bright voice fills Shinobu’s ears and he relaxes unconsciously, letting go of his legs as he shifts to sit properly. A small chime interrupts Sora’s story and he laughs. “HeHe, thanks for the donation!! Sora hasn’t even started playing yet.”

Shinobu smiles at his monitor. Sora’s so… effortless, or at least he seems to be. He knows he isn’t always so sunshine-y. He was there at the start- when Sora’s viewers rarely rose to the double digits and his hands would shake so bad he’d end up playing like someone who had just learned what a videogame was. He’d been at his side when he’d had to drop out of the first in-person event he’d ever been invited to, because the noise and the lights and the people had been too much. He’d listened on countless too-late nights stretching into too-early mornings as Sora flitted back and forth between pure enthusiasm at his growing success and pure fear that it was undeserved and he had to be better. He knew Sora wasn’t effortless, but his smile was always so bright, his voice so clear, that sometimes he had to force himself to believe it.

“Calm down every~one~! Shinobu-chan’ll be here soon!” The sound of his name pulls Shinobu from his thoughts. “Sora’s been taught patience is a good thing, now he’s going to teach you!” He smiles at that, rolling his chair forward to scan the chat. He giggles at the influx of ‘thank u!!’, ‘sora wisdom pog’, ‘we can wait!! **❤️** ’ and similar messages. Right, Sora’s fanbase is kind, he can do this. Now determined, he shoots Sora a quick message that he’ll be right there, and opens up his game.

“Shinobu-chan’s coming everyone!” He catches the chat filling up with frog emojis and variations of ‘nin nin’ before he mutes the stream, minimizing the window, and switching to Discord. Sora is waiting for him so Shinobu takes one last deep breath and jumps into the call.

The stream is fun, like always. Sora is sweet and sparkling- a bright but soothing presence that doesn’t eliminate the dark shadows of his anxiety but does weaken them. Shinobu has long given up trying to match his glow, opting to reflect it back as best he can. It’s easy to slip into comfort-or at least something close to it- with his best friend, his favorite game, and the mental reminders that this is Sora’s stream not his- the audience isn’t there for him, he’s just tagging along.

Eventually, Sora signs off, explaining he can’t stream **too** late tonight. He’ll be talking to Senpai- his manager- in the morning and he has to be well rested. Some quick thinkers in chat question if it’s something important, new merch or a collab or event or something, but Sora breezily waves off the speculation, thanking everyone for coming and telling them all to thank Shinobu for playing. Shinobu flushes on his side of the screen, now back to watching the chat as it floods with frogs and hearts.

He only realizes he’d zoned out when he blinks and there’s a prompt on his screen asking if he’d like to join Sora’s raid on one of their other friends- his eyes widen and he checks the clock. Just as he’d thought- it’s late- that guy only ever streams in the dead of night.

He yawns, pushing his foggy thoughts aside. “Sorry, Sora-kun… I spaced out.” He tucks his knees into his chest and leans forward. “What were you saying?”

“HeHe! Nothing! Sora knew you’d be floating, he was just waiting to say goodnight!”

He smiles at his friend even though he can’t be seen. “Thank you for letting me play with you, it’s always fun.”

“Of course!” Sora’s laugh is like windchimes, ringing light and airy straight thru Shinobu’s mind.

They say their goodbyes, Shinobu with a delicate smile and another thank you for the good time, Sora with a bouncy laugh and a promise to talk in the morning.

And now Shinobu is left alone with his thoughts. It’s like seeing someone from high school on the street; it can’t be helped yet still fills him with a desperate pressure to run away.

He sighs, putting his computer to sleep and heading to bed to do the same to himself. The thought of brushing his teeth runs into his path and despite it being another distraction from having to hear his own brain he doesn’t want to at all. He still does, with the same weary feeling about it that he has most nights.

And then he’s actually alone. Eyes closed to block his room’s darkness with their own darkness. The same way his thoughts replace the rest of the world’s confusion with their own.

_It’s a poor comparison,_ he thinks. While he supposes they both serve to help him, at least closing his eyes actually works. His whirlwind thoughts only serve to pull at him, try to sweep him away more than life’s gales already do.

His thoughts truly _are_ unhelpful. _As always,_ he feels with a bitter sort of joy. At least he is consistent. Maybe the only consistent thing in the world is him. His existence is that of a strip of paper being twisted and bent by the wind whipping him around every day. But at least he is something, even if that something is lost and drifting.

The thought comforts him enough to fall asleep quickly for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i feel all buzzy with nerves and excitement about posting this which is not normal for me when i post haha. but this idea as silly as it seems means so much to me, and im ready to put all i can into this story- im full of ideas and im going to write them as many as i can fit. i hope you'll come along with me for the ride. thank you for reading, comments and kudos are always appreciated :-)


	2. A Boy Stuck in the Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tori time babey! this was actually finished like 2 months ago, way before the first chapter. i can’t help it; izumi and toris back and forth is so fun to writeee! but i did go back and add more, to mirror shinobus chapter 1 ;;;-)  
> hope you like it!

Tori groans. He’s in a 5 star hotel, in Paris, supposedly the most beautiful place ever. He’s sprawled out on a delightfully fluffy blanket, on a giant, soft bed in a perfectly decorated, glamourous hotel room. His latest post- a picture of him in a cropped baby pink sweatshirt glaring over the top of his sunglasses and sticking his tongue out cheekily **,** captioned “Izumi says my outfit’s tacky but I don’t care, these shades are Gucci **💖** ”- is blowing up with likes and comments.

And he’s so fucking tired of this.

“How many times do I have to say you’re gonna get wrinkles Momo-kun?”

He glares, making sure to wrinkle his nose and furrow his eyebrows as much as possible. Izumi looks unamused, rolling his eyes and pulling his towel off his shoulders to toss it on his own -equally massive- bed. “Shut up I’m miserableeee!”

“Oh no, are you not getting enough likes? Did Fushi-kun come nag you while I was in the shower?” Izumi stretches out, laying himself gracefully against the pile of pillows.

“Shutttt uppppp!” He rolls onto his stomach, huffing into the mattress. “I’m having A! Crisis! and you’re bullying me.” He throws his phone aside and grabs a pillow to cuddle. Ugh, he should’ve brought Sumomo, the pillow’s obnoxiously big for his little frame.

“Oh a _crisis_?” If he hadn’t known Izumi for as long as he had, Tori wouldn’t register the tone as softer, but he has and he does. “What cause you can’t use Instagram for like 2 days? You can still scroll, just don’t interact-at least not right now- we’re still in Japan right?”

“It’s not that! I mean… like kind of?” He instinctively shoots puppy eyes in Izumi’s direction, but he’s focused on his own phone, so he redirects them to the painted country side hanging above his headboard. “I do wanna reply to people and stuff but...” He sighs. “Forget it, it’s fine.”

“You’re so annoying, just tell me what’s wrong.” He can feel Izumi rolling his eyes. “Don’t beg for attention and then change your mind.” He gasps, and Tori turns to sneak a look. Izumi’s face has lit up in the way only his weird Internet crush can cause. “And hurry up, Yuu-kun’s gonna stream soon!”

“Stalker. Wait, it’s like 3 am at home though?”

“I knowwww, his sleep schedule is so bad. I’m sooo gonna tell him about the importance of beauty sleep.” Izumi sighs. “Wait no. Will he think I’m calling him ugly then? Ugh, he’s so camera shy already.” He’s not talking to Tori anymore, muttering to himself. “Oh but his skinnnnn. Yuu-kunnnn.”

Tori huffs. “You just said you wanted me to talk to you and then your greasy gamer boy shows up and you don’t care anymore.”

“Yuu-kun is NOT greasy.”

“Whateverrrrr, are you gonna pay attention to me or not?”

Izumi lays his phone beside him. “What is it, attention whore?” There’s a little smirk that Tori knows as the “I’m bullying you because I love you, but if you acknowledge it I’ll kill you” look.

“That’s my job.” He shoots back, winking. “I’m just like… I don’t know. I feel… stuck?” He twirls his hair around a finger. “I get that it’s like- good for my image or whatever- but having to fly all over and pretend nothings up and go to all these dumb meetings is just. Ugh, it’s fucking annoying.”

Izumi’s eyes glint in that way that reminds Tori his friend is actually smart. “Okay, one- you’re a brat. But two. Are you just being 100% a brat, or do you like, actually hate this stuff?”

“I’m a brat and you’re a bitch.” Tori flips over, humming and arching his back to stretch as he contemplates. “I don’t like lying. Like I just wanna say we’re in France, we don’t have to say why.” A flash of brilliance strikes him. “Hey isn’t that a good look? We’re these glamorous stars, we _travel_ , we go to pretty places.”

“Don’t tell **me** , tell **them** \- tomorrow. I guess I’ll back you up, that is kind of a good idea.”

Tori smiles, “We can take cute pictures at the Eiffel Tower!”

“Yeah right, like they’ll let us go somewhere that crowded.” Izumi gripes but he’s smiling just a little. “Feel better now?” He’s back to his phone.

“If I said no would you ditch gamer boy for me?” He bats his eyelashes at Izumi.

“Absolutely not.”

“Rude.” They both know Izumi would, but that he doesn’t need it right now. Tori sits up. “Lucky you, I am feeling better. I’m gonna go shower then.”

“Bye~” Izumi sing-songs, plugging his earbuds into his phone and waving lazily.

The hot water does great at cleansing him of the grimey film of travel, and loosening his tightly wound muscles. It’s also great at washing away the feeling of calm Izumi had just instilled in him, which is just _lovely._

He lingers far longer than he needs to, trying to figure out how to go back out to Izumi and say _“Hey I know I was fine 20 minutes ago but now I feel like I’m gonna cry please help me.”_ He can’t manage to twist that into something casual enough to not freak Izumi out that still makes him drop what he’s doing to give Tori comfort, so he just gives up, resigned to being in a shitty mood tonight.

Yet once the water’s off Tori finds himself sinking down to hide in the tub instead of starting to dry off.

His back rests against the smooth, wet porcelain of the tub. _He’s porcelain too, isn’t he?_ Polished and clean and _fake._ He rolls over, laying his cheek against the surface. It’s uncomfortable- like _super_ uncomfortable- but he should probably feel discomfort more often. It feels bad but at least he knows why- he doesn’t want to get up, move onto tomorrow and the next day and all the days after that, any of which he could wake up feeling like shit and not knowing why. And yes, this is unproductive and maybe a _little_ overdramatic- laying in a cold, wet bathtub alone- but he can never fucking figure out his own thoughts and everyone he knows is too close to him- too similar to understand. And it’s not like he’s _dying,_ he’s just being a bit of brat like Izumi had said. 

_“That’s fine, I can be a brat sometimes. I mean that’s basically my whole thing online.”_ A small smile slides onto his face. Right- he’s not fake, not totally. Maybe he’s a little exaggerated, a little cleaner, but he’s still himself. He’s not that different, even if he might be hiding some of the truth. It's not like he doesn't do that in real life. That's a little too self-aware for what he can deal with right now, so he cuts the train of thought off and gets up. _"The tub was getting old anyways"_ He dries off and steps through his nightly routine, breezily but not carelessly.

Still, when he leaves the bathroom he heads to Izumi’s bed instead of his own. He flops down closer to Izumi than the large bed warrants but Izumi doesn’t comment- simply rests a hand in Tori’s hair and continues watching his phone. Had it been at home the haphazardly dismissed worries and loneliness would have kept Tori up, but thankfully the jet lag and light touch from a friend is enough to steal him away into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well? any thoughts?! next chapters when things start to pick up- now that i've covered the basic setting changes, the plot can truly begin! i'm hoping to post it this friday, we'll see. as always- kudos and comments are appreciated :-)


	3. Like Every Other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally… some minecraft stuff!! like shinobu in this story, i too love minecraft- but in case you’re not acquainted with the game, here’s a simple explanation of the things mentioned in the chapter. (i think its clear from the context what each thing means but just in case) 
> 
> Villagers: a creature in the game. they live in Villages which spawn in different parts of the world- although not in jungles.  
> Ocean Monument: a large structure in the ocean full of monsters. they’re considered difficult.  
> Blocks (as a measure of distance): one block is equivalent to one meter. a few thousand blocks is a far distance to transport creatures across.  
> Nether portal: a portal one can build to access the Nether (another dimension). the relevant thing here is that 1 block in the Nether is 8 blocks in the Overworld(the main dimension), making it efficient to use the Nether for travel

Shinobu wakes up the next morning with little memory of last night’s thoughts and even less interest in what they could have been.

It’s a bit late- his mother has already left for her job and his father settled into his office in the house- so Shinobu eats breakfast alone, trading messages with Sora until the other boy has to leave for his meeting.

He lags behind after that, slowly finishing his tea and aimlessly scrolling through Twitter. It gets boring quick, so he cleans up the kitchen and heads back to his room.

 _“Teeth…”_ His brain mutters and he redirects himself to the bathroom instead. _“It’s so annoying… that you have to do this twice every day…”_ He thinks, staring blankly at himself in the mirror. _“Also you need to dye your hair again.”_ The blond roots are starting to peek through the dark purple mass that is the rest of his hair. _“Can’t stand brushing your teeth but you dye your hair?”_ The contradiction passes without further comment, for once his brain is quiet- well at least for him.

With nothing left to do he settles at his desk, contemplating whether he wants to play Minecraft or watch other people do it. He decides to do it himself- he and Sora had gotten side tracked last night. They were trying to build a custom jungle village and while looking for villagers to relocate they’d found an ocean monument and impulsively decided to conquer it.

Thinking of last night makes him smile. He can look for villages and get everything set up to bring in the new residents, then the next stream he and Sora can actually move them in. 

**shinobudegozaru has joined the game**

_Next stream huh…_ It feels weird to think of the future at all, let alone in a good way. Maybe things were going okay.

< **2to2i** > hi shinobun! (＾▽＾) /

Things were not going okay.

His stomach plummets to the floor. _Someone else was online. Someone else was online. He forgot to check, and someonelesewasonline!_

Shinobu sinks down in his chair, fighting the urge to unplug his whole computer, crawl under his bed, and hide there with the dust bunnies for the 10 or so years it’ll take to get over this.

< **2to2i** > im nito,,, i know we havent talked much (ﾟ-ﾟ;

_“Oh god now he thinks I hate him oh no what do I do now! What do I do???”_

< **shinobudegozaru** > sorrt

< **shinobudegozaru** > sorry

< **shinobudegozaru** > i was just

_Just what???_

< **shinobudegozaru** > getting music

_What._

< **2to2i** > oh whatre u listening to?

_Good question._

He whines, this is the _worst_ \- he feels like he’s gonna pass out and _that_ would be super embarrassing to explain later.

< **shinobudegozaru** > no i mean

< **shinobudegozaru** > a disc

< **shinobudegozaru** > 13

He nearly slams his head on his desk. _That’s the…_

< **2to2i** > isnt that the scary one o_0?

< **shinobudegozaru** > yes

< **shinobudegozaru** > i like it

< **2to2i** > haha cool

< **2o2i** > have fun! :)

< **shinobudegozaru** > thanks

…

He lets out a deep, deep breath. Finally it’s-

_Oh no I should’ve said “you too”._

He takes the deep, deep breath back in.

< **shinobudegozaru** > you too

< **2to2i** > :)!

_Yeah… smile…_

It only takes 10 or 15 minutes of playing to calm down, and soon enough he’s fallen into an easy rhythm. He probably couldn’t stay stressed while playing Minecraft if he tried.

After several thousand blocks, a few Nether portals, and a whole lot of rails, Shinobu feels like he’s reached a good point to pause. He sits up straight to stretch, and _oh he’s been playing for 4 hours. Oops._

He checks that he’s actually finished with the railway, then logs off. He could go on but he should probably take a break- at least drink some water or something.

Shinobu rolls his neck in little circles, pulling his phone out. He has a missed call from Sora, no voicemail _thankfully_ , but there’s a text saying “shinobu-chan! call sora!! its something good!!!”

He gets a glass of water before sitting cross-legged on the floor- he’s sick of his desk- and pulling up Sora’s number to call.

Sora picks up after a few rings.

“Shinobu-chan!!”

“Hi!”

“Sora is streaming right now- they can’t hear you though!”

His anxiety- which had just peeked around the corner- scowls at that and leaves for another room in his head.

“Hi stream.-” “Shinobu-chan says hi everyone!” “Why’re you streaming on your day off?” It’s only now that he’s out of the game that Shinobu realizes he’s kind of tired. He shifts around, leaning back against his bookshelf.

“Sora was excited!! Cause of that thing he wanted to tell you before!” Sora clicks his tongue and a sudden flurry of clicking faintly echoes over the line. 

He waits patiently for the clicking to quiet, letting Sora focus in on whatever he’s playing- maybe some kind of shooter? he has no clue he only really plays Minecraft- and when it does he replies. “Can you say it on stream? Or is it something that’s...?” He figures it has to do with the meeting from earlier, but maybe not. Sora has a way of surprising him- even after all those years.

“Mmhmm, Sora can’t say it… He’ll tell you after!” He gasps, there’s another burst of fast clicking, and then a little sigh. “Oh they got Sora… oh well!”

Shinobu hums. “How long have you been streaming?”

“Hmm…? A little more than an hour. He’ll probably go for another hour! Do you wanna switch to Discord and stay?”

He eyes his desk chair unenthusiastically. _His back hurts_ , although that’s mostly his fault for sitting in one place for four hours. “I think I need a break… I just got off the server.”

“Oh~Kayyy~! Sora will call in a bit then! Love you∼! Bye-bye Shinobu-chan!”

“Talk to you soon, Sora-kun.”

He opens Sora’s stream on his phone. As he’d guessed Sora’s playing some kind of shooter, but he doesn’t really care about the game. Whatever Sora’s playing, Shinobu likes listening to his voice. The symphony of gun fire, explosions, and assorted sparkley magic sound effects makes an odd mix to use as background noise, but frankly the specifics have never mattered to Shinobu. Just the presence of noises- especially noises that include his best friend's voice- is enough to distract the loud, overwhelming part of his brain. So he lays on the floor and spaces out, wondering what Sora’s news is, what his family will make for dinner, if he needs to do laundry today or can he push it off to tomorrow. Mostly he thinks about his and Sora’s village, what they should add, how many villagers they need, if they should bother making it a functional trading space or just decorative.

He’s brought out of his daydreaming when the chaotic battle noises disappear, replaced with the soft electronic beats Sora uses as outro music. He sits up- at some point he’d shifted to laying facedown on the floor- Sora’ll probably spend a few minutes reading donations and thanking everyone- he should use the bathroom before their call.

He finds his phone just poking out from under the bookshelf, and pauses before he can turn off the stream. He hadn’t noticed Sora had his facecam on- he must have been _reaaally_ excited then, _what could it be?_ He’s staring- trying to guess what the good news is- when he notices Sora’s green highlights are half gone. Sora’s gotten a haircut actually- when was the last time they’d met in person... 

_Like… a week?_ He narrows his eyes. Was it a week? It’s so hard to keep track of time, keep track of anything really, when every day feels the same. _Maybe closer to two weeks?_ A sudden wave of loneliness hits him; he hasn’t seen Sora-or any friends but his only one is Sora- in person for half a month. That’s why his thoughts had been so sad the past few days.

Shaking away the daze, he opens his messages, now filled with resolve.

Sora-kun! Can u come over today??

_3:42 pm_

We can dye our hair,,,,

_3:42 pm_

🌟 **Sora** 🌟

sora can!!

_3:44 pm_

🌟 **Sora** 🌟

he can come right over!!!

_3:44 pm_

🌟 **Sora** 🌟

sora can tell shinobu-chan the good news in person!!!!!

_3:45 pm_

Yay!

_3:45 pm_

See you soon then?

_3:45 pm_

🌟 **Sora** 🌟

YES!!!! :D

_3:46 pm_

_Seen_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo, what do we think :) hows the formatting for the chat portions? i was pretty unsure of how to do them, but if anyone has tips they are more than welcome! also do u like the minecraft usernames!! i had fun thinking of them!!
> 
> anyways thanks for reading! kudos and comments are much appreciated! if theres any characters u wanna see, please lemme know! i have many planned to appear but i love coming up w internet jobs/roles for characters so if u wanna know what ur fave would do… say something and u might get a treat ;-P Not sure when the next update will be, perhaps Monday or Tuesday


	4. Paris Fucking Sucks When You’re Tired

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the wait my lovely readers, this chapter was a bit of a doozy, its long for my standards but i had many more things i could have written. anyways hope the cute yuzutori interactions will make up for the wait :)

Tori wakes up very late, very jetlagged, and very very cranky. He forces himself through his morning routine, slaps on a boring but acceptably stylish outfit, and doesn’t say a word to Izumi or Yuzuru until they’re out of the hotel.  _ Does “We’re getting coffee or I’m committing murder.” really count though?  _ Not really, but he’s too pissed for good conversation.

Izumi snarks that Tori had “woken up on the wrong side of the world” before handing over his order- something super sugary with the caffeine to match- but otherwise lets him be. Yuzuru gives him a lingering worried look but says nothing- just rubbing Tori’s shoulder as they exit their ride.

The meeting is boring as  _ shit _ . Which is exactly what Tori expected but it doesn’t make things any better. The only positive is the huge windows- the view of the city is  _ gorgeous _ and would make for some super cute pictures. 

_ “Super cute pictures I can’t take.” _ Great now he’s annoyed again. He takes an angry sip of coffee that he hopes everyone can tell is an angry sip, and returns to zoning out.

_ Seriously there’s no point to him being here- no one asks his opinion and yeah- he could offer it unprompted like he does in every other situation- but they’ll just slowly pick it apart until even he can see it’s a bad idea. _

So he focuses on his coffee until it’s gone and he has to settle for low quality daydreaming.

He’s pulled into the real world when people start gathering their things and standing up-  _ thank god it’s finally over _ . Tori rises, shakes a few hands, nods at some things like he’d been listening, and heads for the door. He hovers outside, waiting for his companions and pretending to look at his phone.

Izumi and Yuzuru emerge and he shoves his phone in a pocket.

“Fina-”

“Save it Momo-kun. I have a lunch meeting, you’re invited.”

He grimaces. “No fucking way, I’m no-”

“I believe Tori is a bit worn out from traveling,” Yuzuru butts in. “We’ll have to take a rain check for today. I hope you won’t mind giving our condolences Sena-sama.”

As much as Tori wants to sulk over being interrupted twice in a row, he’s neither in the mood to play polite with Izumi nor bicker with him. It’s probably for the best that Yuzuru, with all his formalities and pretentious phrases, steps in and fights this battle.

Izumi rolls his eyes. “Fine, whatever. You spoil him too much Fushi-kun but whatever.” He gives Tori a look that says  _ “I will not forget this, we are going to talk later,” _ and spins on his heel. “Feel better I  _ guess _ .” He throws over his shoulder in a sickly sweet voice and disappears around the corner.

Yuzuru clicks his tongue softly and turns to Tori. “Let us go home now.”

He bites back a comment about not being anywhere near home and nods.

The ride back to their hotel is silent. They step into the elevators, the doors close and- in a flash- Yuzuru is close to him, laying his arm against Tori’s back and resting a hand around his waist.

“You’re so clingy.” He whines but there’s no bite to it. Yuzuru is an easy comfort, yielding in a way Izumi could never be, and he rests his head against his arm.  _ Even now, he’s still not tall enough to reach his shoulder. _

“Yes, yes. I’m very clingy. Now tell me, what  _ is _ troubling you _ my _ Tori?” There’s a chime, and the elevator slides open. Yuzuru escorts him to the room like having Tori cling to his side is second nature. Another beep, the door being unlocked this time, and Tori is finally safe to relax.

He kicks off his shoes and dives into his bed face first.  _ I don’t know!  _ He lifts his head up to slam it back into the pillow again.  _ I want to tell you but I can’t figure out what’s fucking wrong! _

The mattress dips as Yuzuru sits by his side. A hand lays on his back, gently rubbing it. “If you don’t want to talk, at least change into some comfortable clothes?”

Thankful for the change of topic, Tori lifts his head. “It’s only like… 3 in the afternoon?” He curls in closer to Yuzuru. “Aren’t we going out for dinner or something?”

Yuzuru chuckles softly. “You say that like you can’t change again later.” Gentle fingers comb through his hair. “Besides, we can order in or have someone pick food up if you’re too tired to go out.”

He sighs, moving his head into Yuzuru’s lap. “I’m just… lazy Yuzuru. It’s like Izumi said  _ ‘You’re spoiling him too much’ _ or whatever.”

Yuzuru makes an affectionate crooning noise. “Ah my Tori… you’re becoming so mature.” He sniffles. “ _ Oh, _ I’m so proud of you! You’re growing up so well!”

Tori shakes his head, embarrassed. “Nnnn, don’t baby me! I’m 19 okay! I’m already grown up- or well mostly!” It does make him feel better.

“On the contrary, it is my job to indulge you- to baby you- sometimes. You have been working very hard, I mean it- I am proud of you.” He cups Tori’s cheeks, turning his head to look up at him. Yuzuru is smiling, slightly teary eyed. “I know you don’t care for the meetings and business side of everything, but you still dedicate yourself to it.” 

He bites his lip. “Is it obvious I don’t like the meetings? I’m sorry…”

“No, no- I know you well. You’re usually quite professional, I doubt others can tell when you’re disinterested.”

He whines. “Keep petting me!” Yuzurus fingers resume stroking his hair and he hums contentedly. “I wasn’t really paying attention today,” Yuzuru’s expression says ‘ _ Oh believe me I  _ **_know_ ** _. _ ’ “Sorry… what were we talking about?”

“Just various plans for the future, there’s a few events you’ve been invited to, and brands looking for you to promote them. Nothing particularly unusual.”

“Why come all the way out here for a normal meeting?” He’s still tired from the jet lag and his bad mood- the constant motion of Yuzuru’s fingers is starting to lull him to sleep.

“Izumi’s commerc-”

“Oh yeah…  _ that. _ Why am I here then?”

Yuzuru sighs, pausing for a moment. “I thought you might like to see the filming, plus we do have a meeting with a French brand.” He seems to consider what to say next. “Hmmm, but well, I suppose I thought it might be a good opportunity for you to enjoy yourself, a little break if you will.”

_ Oh. _ “Thank you Yuzuru. I-I’ll try to relax.” He yawns and forces himself to sit up. “These pants are annoying, I’m gonna change.”

“Of course.” Yuzuru pets him on the head one last time before Tori heads to his suitcase.

_ “I should probably unpack my clothes, they get all messed up when I have to dig around for them.” _

“One last thing-” Tori turns. “Sena-sama mentioned that you wanted to inform your followers you were travelling.”  _ Oh that. _ He turns back expecting Yuzuru to gently decline.

“It’s fine Yuzuru, I get why w-”

“We decided that was fine, so long as you don’t say where you are.”

_...Huh? _

“Wait!” He leaps up, throwing his clothes wherever. “Wait, really!? I can? Like…  _ seriously!? _ ”

Yuzuru has that odd smile- a combination of smug, amused, loving, and tense- balanced on his lips. “Yes, there shouldn’t be any issues as long as you stay vague. I hope that will be alri-”

Tori flings himself into Yuzuru’s chest. “Yes that’s fine!! That’s awesome! Are you kidding- I’ll stay so vague- people will have no clue where I am- they’ll think I’m on the Moon! I love you Yuzuru- oh my god- you’re the best!!”

Yuzuru holds him tightly. “I’m glad.” He steps back after a moment, lightly caressing Tori’s cheek. “I’ll leave you to rest then- if that’s alright- we have nothing more planned today, so please enjoy yourself.”

Tori nods furiously, leaning in to steal one more hug. “Of course! Thank you, like really Yuzuru,  _ thank you! _ ” He trails Yuzuru to the door. “Are you gonna relax too? I want you to take days off more.”

Yuzuru pulls his shoes back on slowly. “Yes, I will take a little time off today, but please- call me if you need anything.”

“Yeah, yeah, I will. Bye Yuzuru… love you.”

“And I you, my Tori. I’ll see you tonight?” A final pat on the head, and Yuzuru is heading out the door. Tori waves bye and then he’s alone.

Surprisingly it’s nice. His worries have been eased, and it’s time to relax.

He busies himself putting his clothes away, carefully picking out a cute but comfy outfit: a plain black t-shirt, and a pair of pink fuzzy pajama pants that have an adorable bunny print on them. The pants were a gift from Hajime, the only person he knew who was famous yet not even slightly an asshole. He should call him. Hajime would probably be enchanted to know he was in France.

Tori checks the time back home- almost midnight- okay maybe not today.

Satisfied- no delighted!- with his appearance, Tori bounds to his bed, settling down delicately, and pulling up his phone camera. He has the  _ perfect _ idea for an Insta story, so long as the lighting will cooperate with him.

It does-  _ thank god _ \- and after quickly typing out ‘where could prince tori be uwu’, he posts the picture of him winking and flashing a peace sign.  _ That should be good. _

For once he doesn’t wait to see the response, instead snuggling into the blankets and falling into the first good rest he’s had in Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> boy i sure hope my ideas of “influencer activities” aren’t too unrealistic- shockingly- i’ve never been an instagram model, and i am admittedly far less well-versed in that whole area than in minecraft streamer culture. im kind of free-styling on this stuff, hopefully it’s believable. if u know abt that whole deal please drop some advice, or even places i can learn more about it. e-boy sciences are still a young field, and i struggle to find good research lmao.  
> as always, kudos and comments are *chefs kiss* mwah, delicious! might take a lil break, next chapter should be out sometime next week. but i am an impulsive bastard so it could come earlier idk.


	5. The Good Kind of Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hands u some shinosora* ;)

Sora leaps into his arms the second Shinobu opens the door. Since this is what always happens, Shinobu is able to catch him.

“Shinobu-chan!!” Sora nuzzles into his cheek, his hair tickles Shinobu’s jawline and he stifles a giggle. Sora does not, laughing loudly. “Sora missed you!” He leans forward into the hug, burying his face into Sora’s shoulder.

“I missed you too Sora-kun.” He pulls back, taking Sora’s hand and squeezing it lightly. “Come in.” Sora steps in- humming cheerily.

“Thank you for having Sora visit!~” He lays a bag on the floor and bends over to take off his shoes. “Sora brought stuff! Look, it’s- where is it? Here!” He proudly holds out a bag towards Shinobu. 

“What are…?” He squints, but before he can read the packaging, Sora pulls it away.

“Wait! Actually Sora will save it for later! Shinobu-chan can get all the surprises at once!” Sora laughs, springing up. 

“Okay then. Um… shall we go to my room?” He mumbles.

“O~kay~!” Sora claps his hands. “Anything you say!”

After Sora’s set his things down, stolen several more hugs from Shinobu, and said hello to Shinobu’s father, the two of them find themselves settled on the bathroom floor- Shinobu getting ready to dye his friends hair.

“Gummy?” Sora holds one of the shuriken shaped sweets- the surprise bag he’d shown off earlier- Sora’d been unable to keep it hidden very long- up towards Shinobu’s mouth.

“Thank you!” He gently bites the snack out of Sora’s fingers and sinks back onto his heels, beginning to carefully paint lime green dye onto fluffy blond hair. 

“Wanna hear about the new game Sora’s been playing?”

He nods-ah Sora can’t see him. “Okay.”

“Yay!” Sora launches into an eager ramble about catching stars and some kind of complex magic system. Shinobu hums and nods- kind of following along but mostly just enjoying Sora’s enthusiasm and how knowledgeable he is about the game. 

It’s easy and nice, Sora talking about games while Shinobu listens is at least half of their friendship. It’s how they’d become friends in the first place, he reminisces.

…

“Sengoku-kun?”

He flinches, turning toward the voice and trying to hide behind his long bangs. “Um… y-yes?” The other person is one of his classmates-  _ Harukawa-kun? he thinks _ . Much like Shinobu, the boy is usually quiet- keeping to himself, and playing on some kind of gaming device rather than interacting with anyone else. Shinobu doesn’t know why Harukawa would be talking to him.

“So-ah…” His eyes flick to the side quickly, and a flash of fear flashes across his face. “I… like the charm on your bag…”

“O-oh…” He unconsciously reaches for it, running his fingers over the ninja character. “Thank you.”

“Do you like that game too? Sora really d-” He cuts himself off, biting the smile that had just burst onto his face until it fades back into a worried look. “Sorry.”

“Oh…” Shinobu steps forward reaching out to- ah he doesn’t know- he steps back. “I… didn’t know there was a game uh- I just liked that he’s a ninja.”

The other boy looks crestfallen, like he’s about to cry. “Sora is- no- So- argh.”

“Um! What kind of game is it?” He doesn’t know why he feels the need to speak- something about Harukawa’s expression makes him feel horrible. He forces himself to look up at the other boy- he meets a pair of huge blue eyes- staring at him with an unreadable emotion.

“Do you wanna play it? It’s a fighting game- the series started off in arcades- it didn’t have any releases outside of arcades for a long time- but they finally put one out! Sora has it- he can bring it tomorrow! Or he can take Sengoku-kun to an arcade that has the game. That character is new- he’s only in the handheld game and the newest arcade game- not everywhere has it yet. Ah…” Harukawa seems to snap out of his excited state, curling back into himself and staring down at his hands. “Sorry… Sora started rambling…”

“That’s okay um…!” He swallows nervously. “I-I-I… I’d like to try- p-playing it. If… If Harukawa-kun doesn’t mind.”

Harukawa gasps, smiling widely and grabbing one of Shinobu’s hands. “Of course! Sora doesn’t mind!! He’ll bring the game tomorrow! Sora will play it with you! Thank you for wanting to play with him!”

Shinobu can’t help but smile- feeling his face get hot. “O-okay um… I’m excited to play it.”

…

Shinobu blinks, suddenly realizing he’s finished Sora’s hair while zoning out. “Ah Sora-kun- I finished!”

“Yay! Thank you!” Sora claps his hands. “Now it’s Shinobu-chan’s turn!”

They switch places and soon enough Sora is massaging dye into his hair.

“It’s time! Sora’s gonna tell you about the surprise!!”

Shinobu brings his knees up to his chest. “You don’t want me to guess?”

“Sora thought you wouldn’t have any guesses, but you can guess.”

He thinks for a second. “You’re right, I don’t know what it is.” He laughs, and Sora joins in.

“Welllll…” Sora trills his tongue. “Sora got invited to a convention!! He’s gonna be on a panel about live streaming!”

“Oh… that’s great! Congratulations!” It’s not the first time Sora’s been invited to some kind of event, but as far as he knows it’s the first time he’s been on a panel.

“Sora’s gonna have a meet up too- with fans! People would probably like to meet Shinobu-chan, Sora thought maybe you could be in a back room on the phone with him- just like on streams, it’s only your voice! Oh- wait! You’ll come right?! Sora already got permission and everything! It’ll be too lonely without you.” 

“Of course. I’ll always come with you Sora-kun.” He plays with the hem of his sleeves, smiling. “What’s the panel exactly?”

“Sora’s gonna be with other streamers- he doesn’t remember who… they don’t do gaming- and we’re gonna talk about how they’re different and stuff uhhhhh… Senpai said more but Sora was way too excited- it was hard to pay attention HaHa!”

Shinobu giggles. “That’s exciting!”

“Yeah!” Sora cheers. “Guess what else?” He pauses- rubbing at Shinobu’s scalp vigorously for a second before answering himself. “Mako-chan-senpai is going too!! It’s his first time- well kind of but- Shinobu-chan can finally meet him!”

“Oh… Oh! Wah- Sora-kun that’s scary… what if we don’t get along? I mean… actually we could just talk online in separate rooms if it’s too awkward in person… or is that too strange? Ehehe I can’t wait to meet him! Ah, my heart is going back and forth…”

Sora laughs. “Mako-chan-senpai was the same way! Sora thinks you’ll get along well!

“I hope so.”

Sora continues babbling about the convention and Shinobu continues listening to him until their hair is dyed and rinsed. They return to Shinobu’s room and start playing a new game Sora found- some unknown indie horror game- the man has a habit of scrolling through digital shops at night and picking up random cheap games. 

They mess around with that until Shinobu’s mom comes home. She’s delighted to see Sora who is equally happy to talk to her. Shinobu is simultaneously confused and grateful that his one friend gets along with his parents. 

After dinner he and Sora return to gaming- now switching to a fighting game- the latest in the series they’d bonded over nearly a decade ago. It doesn’t matter how good the game really is- Shinobu will always love every single one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aahh there it is! sorry for making everyone wait 2 weeks for whats kind of a filler chapter (ﾟωﾟ；there were certain things i had to include and i was struggling to find ways to make them fun, i eventually decided on a lil flashback! i hope u enjoyed shinosora as kiddos… i liked writing it, i hope to include more flashbacks :) anyways thank u for reading, commenting and kudosing!!:3 i may update this week if im not too busy w holiday things, i’ll put the date for the next update in the summary so if u check back in a few days it’ll be there!


End file.
